Wilhelm-Kress-Denkmal

Wilhelm Kress Monument from 1913 on the northern shore of Lake Wienerwald in Tullnerbach. The monument was created by the sculptor Rudolf von Weigl. Wilhelm Kress (1836-1913) was an Austrian aviation pioneer. In 1901 he built a motorised aircraft at the Lake Wienerwald to the west of Vienna. Wilhelm Kress (1836-1913) was an Austrian aviation pioneer. In 1901 he built a motorised aircraft at the Wienerwaldsee to the west of Vienna. Kress calculated a take-off weight of 600 kg with an engine power of at least 30 hp. Since there was no suitable engine in Austria, Kress ordered an airship engine in Stuttgart. The delivered engine weighed 380 kg instead of 200 kg and had only 30 hp instead of 35 hp which would have been necessary with this weight. Because of the excessive weight of the engine, he had to add further reinforcements to the aircraft, and the take-off weight was now 850 kg....